Stop mechanism for reeling machines



June 2s, w38. D. SLIKKER 2,122,3l5

STOP MECHANISM FOR REELING MACHINES Filed March 25, 1937 s sheets-sheet 1 lJune: 28, 1938. DI sLlKKl-:R 2,122,115

STO'P MECHANISM FOR RELING MACHINESx Filed March 25, 1957 sheets-sheet 2 LIIIIIIIIIIII! '.IIIIIIIIIIIIHIII Melun! v June 28, 1938. D. sLlKKER 222U5 STOP MECHANISM FOB REELING MACHINES Filed M arch 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 28, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ice STOP MECHANISM FOR REELING MACHINES of Delaware Application March 25,

5 Claims.

I'his invention relatesv to machines for reeling or winding continuous strands or webs of material, such for example as thread or yarn, and more particularly aims to provide a mechanism for automatically stopping the machine after a predetermined length of material has been wound thereon.

An important object of the invention is to provide in combination with reeling or winding machines of the above character an automatic stop mechanism comprising a rotarymember, such as a disk, operatively connected either directly or indirectly to the reel or winding drum so as to be driven in synchronism therewith and having means associated therewith adapted after a predetermined period of angular displacement to effect the actuation of a control member for arresting rotation of the reel or winding drum. According to the preferred form of my invention the stop mechanism comprises a springbiased shift bar normally retained in inoperative position by the disk and means upon the disk to release the shift bar for actuating the control member.

Another object of my invention is to provide an automatic stop mechanism, which I term an auxiliary stop mechanism, adapted to be incorporated in a reeling or winding machine of the above character for controlling the winding of comparatively short lengths of material and adapted to be employed in conjunction with a second, or primary, stop mechanism, said auX- iliary stop mechanism being so constructed and arranged as to be readily rendered ineffective by a simple manual operation when the machine is to be operated under the control of the primary stop mechanism.

The invention has for a further object to provide an automatic stop mechanism of the above character which is comparatively simple in construction and positive and reliable in operation, an advantageous feature of the stop mechanism residing in the provision of a scale upon the disk and a stationary index member cooperating therewith to afford means for accurately gauging the length of the material to be wound.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of one end of a machine for reeling threads into skeins, with parts broken away for clearness;

Figure 2 is a detail view in side elevation of the 1937, serial No. 133,037

mechanism for transmitting motion from the driven shaft to the actuator disk of the primary and auxiliary stop mechanisms;

Figure 3 is a detail view in side elevation of the primary and auxiliary stop mechanisms; and

Figure 4 is a plan View of the stop mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

Now in referring to the drawings in detail, Fig. 1 illustrates one end of a machine for unwinding artificial silk threads from bobbins and reeling them into skeins. The reeling machine, aside from the stop mechanisms later toy be described, is generally of a well-known construction comprising a machine frame I, a drive shaft 2 extending longitudinally of the frame and suitably journaled in bearings 3 (only one being shown) at opposite ends of the frame, and a driven shaft 4 located above and extending parallel to the drive shaft. The driven shaft 4 in reeling machines of this general character is usually composed of two longitudinal sections rotatable as a unit, upon one of which sections is xedly mounted a pulley 6 adapted to be frictionally driven from a pulley 5 fastened upon the drive shaft 2, and having secured upon the other of said sections a reel 1. The longitudinal sections of shaft 4 are detachably coupled by conventional means not shown to permit the ready removal of the reel from the machine to allow stripping the skeins of thread therefrom. The threads 8 are' wound onto the reel from bobbins 9 arranged upon spindles Ill projecting upwardly from a platform II extending along a side of the machine frame. The threads pass upwardly from the bobbins onto the reel through the eyes of horizontal guide pins I2, thence between the longitudinal bars I3 extending along the side of the machine frame and through the thread guides or detectors I4.

The driven reel shaft 4 is rotatably supported within bearings located at opposite ends of the machine. A bracket carrying the bearing for the forward end of the shaft is indicated at I5 and comprises a pair of parallel arms I5a and lib fastened at one end upon a horizontal rock shaft I6, suitably journaled for rotation in the machine frame, and having at their opposite outer ends bearings Ia for the driven shaft 4. Extending diagonally downward from the outer free end of the arm I5a is a leg I'I terminating in a depending foot I'Ia. The foot Ila engages a toe I9 upon the end of an angled control lever 20 pivoted upon a pin 2| to the machine frame adjacent .its toe end. The control lever has a horizontal handle 22 which projects laterally beyond one side of the machine frame. A coil spring 23 extending between the leg I'I of the bracket I5 and the machine frame maintains the leg in engagement with the toe I9; however the handle 22 of the control lever is so weighted as to overcome the opposition of the spring and rock the bracket I5 upwardly, to lift the pulley 6 out of engagement with drive pulley 5 and press it against a stationary brake block 24 suitably positioned upon the machine frame. If desired a` strong coil spring (not shown) may be employed, instead of or in addition to the weight ofthe handle 22, for urging the control lever downwardly. A stop a upon the control lever engages an abutment upon the machine frame to limit the downward movement of the control lever.

Along that side of the machine frame from which the threads are delivered to the reel there is provided a reciprocating traverse bar 25 carrying the seriesof thread guides or detectors I4 through which the threads' pass and this traverse bar is actuated by the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 so as to insure the even distribution of the threads upon the reel. As indicated in Fig; 2, a shaft 23 extends crosswise of and is suitably journaled for rotation in the machine frame below driven shaft 4. This shaft is provided at oneend with a worm wheel 2l which engages a worm (not shown) on the driven shaft, and upon its other end is fixed a crank 28 to which is pivoted a link 29. The link is in turn connected to the traverse bar, in a manner not shown but which is well understood in the reeling art, so that as the crank slowly rotates, the traverse bar carrying the thread guides moves back and forth to evenly lay the thread down upon the reel.

The reeling machine is provided with an automatic stop mechanism, which I designate the primary stop mechanism, constructed as follows:

Extending crosswise of the-machine frame at its end in which are journaled the pulleys 5 and 6, and rotatably supported within spaced bearing members 3D and 3l projecting upwardly from a casting 3l secured to the top of the frame, is a` shaft 32. 'The extended end of reel shaft 4 is positioned below the shaft 32 and at right angles thereto and provided with a worm 33. This worm meshes with a worm wheel 34 secured upon the lower end of a spool 35 rotatable about an upright pintle 35 upon the casting 31.- Adjacent its upper end the spool is provided with a worm 38 which meshes with a worm wheel 39 upon the shaft 32.

Worm wheel 39 forms one end of a sleeve 40, freely rotatable upon the shaft 32, which is adapted to be coupled to the shaft 32 by means of a collar 4I adjustable along the shaft and provided with splines 42 receivable within cornplementary slots in an end face of the sleeve. The collar is adapted to be fastened to the shaft, so as to rotate therewith, by a set screw 43. Thus when the sleeve 4G is coupled to the shaft 32 by the collar 4| the shaft is directly driven from worm 38.

In order to obtain a larger gear reduction to allow the shaft 32 to be driven at a slower speedthan when it is directly coupled to the worm 38, acountershaft 44 is located above and parallel to shaft 32. Countershaft 44 is also journaled for rotation in bearing members 39 and 3l, so that when the collar 4I is uncoupled from sleeve motion may be transmitted to the countershaft through a spur gear 45 located upon the sleeve and meshing with a companion spur gear 46 of larger diameter secured upon the countershaft by a set screw 46a. Motion from the countershaft is communicated to shaft 32 either through a pair of companion spur gears 41 and 48 of small and large diameters respectively xed upon the respective shafts, or, alternately, through a pair of companion spur gears 49 and 5U similarly fixed upon these shafts. It

Awill be understood that the ratios of the pairs of intermeshing gears 47, 48 and 49, 50 are differentand suitably chosen to give the proper speed reduction between driven shaft 4 carrying the reel I and shaft 32.

The countershaft 44 is adapted to be shifted axially in the bearing members 39 and 3l to move either of the pairs of gears 4l, 48 and 49, 59 into or out of mesh; and, when the sleeve 44 is coupled directly to shaft 32, the spur gear 43, is moved out of mesh with its companion gear 45 on sleeve 49by unloosening the set screw 46a and displacing the gear 46 along shaft 44. To allow shifting of the countershaft lengthwise, there is threaded into bearing member 3I a removable retaining pin 5I so located as to tangentially intersect, as desired, any one of three circumferential grooves 52 formed upon an end of the countershaft.

Shaft 32 is extended through the bearing member 3| and mounted upon the end of this shaft so as tof rotate therewith in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 is an actuator disk 53. Upon the outwardly disposed face of actuator disk 53 is a tappet 54 and upon its opposite face the disk is provided with an extended cylindrical hub 55 connected by a set screw 56 to shaft 32. Formed upon this hub is a second tappet 51 but angularly offset from tappet 54 by 90 degrees.

Bearing member 3l which supports one end of the shafts 32 and 44 is formed with an arm 58 kprojecting beyond the end of the machine frame and having a slot 59 formed therein. Adjustable within this slotted arm is a stub shaft 6I! (Fig. 4) disposed laterally of the arm and parallel to the shaft 32. The stub shaft is retained in fixed position by means of a clamping nut `6ta. threaded upon a reduced end of the stub shaft received within and projecting beyond the slot 59. Oscillatableupon the stub. shaft is a pair of pawls El and 62 which extend downwardly and overlie the end face of the machine frame, these pawls having respectively rearwardly reaching arms 63'and 64 disposed at right angles to the pawls and arranged so as to be engaged by the tappets 54 and 5'I, respectively. During rotation of the actuator disk the tappets serve to' alternately and periodically rock these pawls upon the stub shaft.

The lower ends of the pawls are provided with shoulders 65 and 66, the shoulder 65 on pawl 6I being located at a slightly lower elevation than the shoulder 66 on pawl 62 for a purpose later to be explained. The pawls 6I and 62 are designed to engage the equidistantly-spaced teeth 6l of a vertically disposed' rack B8 arranged upon the upper end of a slide block 69 which latter is mounted for Vertical travel along an end surface of the machine frame and adjacent one corner thereof in the vicinity of the handle 22 of control lever 20. The slide block is guided in its sliding movement by a pair of bolts I9 passing into the frame through elongated slots 'Il formed in the slide block, these bolts being provided with fiat heads overlying the side edges lll of the slots. The shoulders 65 and 66 upon the ends of the pawls 6| and 62 are designed to engage the teeth of the rack under the urge of coil springs 12 extending between the pawls and the machine frame. Since, however, the shoulders upon the two pawls are located at different elevations spaced apart a distance less than a rack tooth 61, only one arm will be effective at any time to engage a tooth of the rack and retain the slide block against downward movement.

A strong coil spring 13 (Fig. 1) anchored at one end to the machine frame and fastened at its other end to a handle member 14 for manually lifting the slide block, serves to pull the slide block downwardly to the maximum extent afforded by the slots 1|. At its lower end the slide block is formed with an abutment 15 disposed parallel to the side of the machine frame and having a tapered lower face 15a, and an approximately horizontal upper face 15b. The tapered face 15a is adapted near the lowermost position of travel of the slide block to engage the end 11 of a hook 19. This hook constitutes the lower portion of an upright arm 89 intermediately pivoted upon a pin 8| to the side of the machine frame, and is so fashioned as to curve around but amply clear the handle 22 of control lever 2|).

A step 82, adapted to support the handle 22 in .an elevated position with the pulleys 5 and 6 in frictional driving engagement, is suitably formed upon the hook as shown in Fig. 3. The end 11 of the hook is so located with respect to the path of travel of the slide block 69 as to be struck by the abutment 15 during the descent of the slide block and swing so as to disengage the step 82 from the handle 22 and allow the handle to fall by gravity. This results in lifting the pulley 6 out of contact with pulley 5 and into engagement with the brake block` 2A to arrest the rotation of the reel.

To facilitate they setting of the stop mechanism according to the length of thread to be wound, there is suitably provided in the side of the machine frame a series of apertures 83 equidistantly spaced apart in staggered relation and adapted to receive a metal peg 84. These apertures correspond in number to the ratchet teeth 61 and are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between adjacent ratchet teeth. Thus by introducing the metal peg into an appropriate one of the apertures 83 the slide block may be raised by the handle 14 until the upper edge of abutment 15 strikes the peg, at which time the pawl 92 will engage the'tooth of the ratchet corresponding to the aperture occupied by the peg.

In addition to the primary stop mechanism just described, I provide an automatically operable auxiliary stop mechanism, as follows:

Ihe upper end of arm 89 which is pivoted upon pin 8| so as to swing about an axis parallel to shaft 32 is extended to an elevation above the axis of said shaft. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a horizontal shift bar 86 of laterally-offset or stepped form is pivoted by a pin 81 to a standard 98 located upon the top of the machine frame. Upon this shifty bar intermediate its length and at the foot of the `step or offset is fastened a laterally projecting dog 89. The shift bar 85 is urged, .by a coil spring 99, extending between the shift bar and a post 9| upon the top of the machine frame, in a direction such as to maintain the dog yieldingly in engagement with the periphery of the actuator disk.

The actuator disk is provided at equidistantly spaced intervals about its periphery with notches 92, these notches each being defined by a radially cleft forward or leading edge 92a and an arcuate'trailing edge 92h, as shown in Fig. 3. Between these notches upon its periphery the disk is graduated to provide a scale 99 with which a pointer 94, supported within the stationary bearing member 3|, cooperates to facilitate the setting of the auxiliary stop mechanism prior to the commencement of the preliminary reeling operation, as will later be explained.'

The outer or free end of the shift bar 86 is extended beyond the side of the machine frame upon which the upright arm 85B is pivoted, the shift bar and the upper end of the pivoted arm (shown in dotted lines in' Fig. 3) being so relatively located that when a notch upon the disk arrives opposite the dog 89, the latter will snap into the notch under the urge of spring 9@ and allow the end of the shift bar tc engage and rock the pivoted arm thereby disengaging the handle 22 of control lever 2|) from the step 82.

A latch 95 suitably recessed so as to provide a detent 99 is pivoted for vertical swinging movement upon the post 9| in order that it may be swung into engagement with the horizontal shift bar 89 and maintain the latter ineffective.

The operation of the apparatus just described is as follows: In transferring the threads from the bobbins 9 onto the reel it is customary to discard the first 200 or 300 yards of thread representing the outer circumferential windings of each bobbin because such thread is apt to be soiled, damaged or otherwise unsuited for further processing. Accordingly the machine is operated in two stages: First, to preliminarily unwind this comparatively short circumferential portionv of thread from the bobbins, at which time the auxiliary stop mechanism is effective; and, second, after the skeins of waste threads reeled during this preliminary run have been stripped from the reel, to reel off the longer lengths of threads during the resumed operation of the machine subject to the control of the primary stop mechanism.

In initiating the preliminary run of the machine, the handle 22 of control lever 29 is elevated onto the step 92 of hook 19. The pivoted shift bar 86, at this time being disengaged by the latch 92, is moved by the relatively strong coil spring 90 so as to yieldingly retain the dog 39 against the periphery of the actuator disk 53. Since the actuator disk is operatively connected to and driven in synchronism with the reel shaft 4, the disk for a predetermined number of revolutions of the reel-and hence for the reeling of a prescribed yardage of thread from each bobbin 9-will make one complete revolution. When a peripheral notch 92 upon the actuator disk'rides into registry with the dog 99, the latter snaps into the notch, allowing the free end i of the shift bar to strike the upper end of the upright pivoted arm 89 andswing the latter to disengage the step 82 from the handle 22. The handle drops by gravity to rock the control lever 29 upon its pivot 2| and thereby move the reel-carrying shaft Ail upwardly to disengage driven pulley 9 from drive pulley 5 and pressing the former pulley against the brake block 29 so as to instantly arrest rotation of the reel.

After the reel has been removed from the machine and the skeins of threads unwound from the bobbins during this preliminary run have been stripped therefrom, the reel is replaced in the machine and the auxiliary stop mechanism is now rendered ineffective by swinging the latch S5 into position to engage the shift bar' and hold the dog 89 away from the actuator disk. The handle of the control lever is again lifted onto` the step 82 and the slide block E9 raised by the workman, by means of the handle 14, until the abutment 'l5 strikes the metal peg 8i (which will have been previously positioned in an appropriate aperture 83 in the machine frame according to the length of thread to be reeled) and the pawl 52 engages the tooth of the rack that is correlated with the particular aperture occupied by the metal peg.

During the operation of the machine and as the actuator disk rotates, the pawls 6l andl y62 will be alternately and intermittently tripped by the tappets 5d and 57 upon the disk to permit the slide block to lower step-by-step under the urge of spring 13. As will be apparent one of the pawls is always in engagement with a rack tooth and a complete revolution of the actuator disk is required in order to release each tooth. Upon release of the final (top) tooth of the rack bythe pawls, the slide block will be pulled forcibly downward by the coil spring 13 causing the abutment 'l5 to strike and swing hook 'I9 rto unseat the handle 22 from step 82. When the handle has been thus disengaged it falls and through the control lever 20 stops the rotation of the reel in the manner before def scribed.

The range of effective operation of the primary stop mechanism (and also of the auxiliary stop mechanism) may be increased by driving the actuator disk 53 through the countershaft 44 as has been previously explained. By uncoupling the collar M from sleeve 40 and then displacing the countershaft axially so as to bring either of the pairs of gears 41, 48 or 49, 5B in mesh, a different speed relationship between the reel supporting shaft l and the actuator disk, and hence a different reeled yardage for every revolution of the disk, is obtainable.

In setting the actuator disk 53 prior to the commencement of the preliminary run of the machine, the set screw 56 upon the hub of the actuator disk is backed olf sufficiently to allow the disk to be freely rotated on the shaft 32. The actuator disk is then angularly adjusted upon this shaft so that the pointer 94 coincides with a selected reading on the scale 93 upon the periphery of the disk. By retightening the set screw the actuator disk is again rigidly connected to the shaft 32. The scale is preferably duplicated between successive peripheral notches upon the actuator disk and so calibrated as to afford a reading in conjunction with the pointer of the yardage which will be wound upon the reel before the next notch of the actuator disk becomes effective to release the shift bar 85 to stop the reel. This scale desirably will be of the composite type so as to provide separate readings correlated with the three different speed reduction gearings through which the actuator disk may be driven from the reel-supporting shaft 4.

While the actuator disk in the preferred form of the invention just described is provided with three peripheral notches S2, only one is essential to the operation of the auxiliary stop mechanism. A plurality of notches is desirable, however, in order to facilitate the winding in increments of length less than that represented by a complete revolution of the actuator disk. If, for example, one revolution of the actuator disk corresponds to a winding of 300 yards upon the reel it will be clear that by providing duplicative peripheral notches at three equally spaced intervals upon the disk, the auxiliary stop mechanism will be periodically rendered eiective at every wind of 100 yards by the reel. Thus to add in increments of 100 yards to the length of the threads that may be already wound upon the reel, it is only necessary to operate the machine under the control of the auxiliary stop mechanism which will serve to interrupt the rotation of the reel at the conclusion of every hundred yard winding interval.

It will be apparent that various changes in structure and design may be made in the apparatus described above without departing from the spirit of my invention.

l. The combination with a reeling machine including a frame, a reel journaled for rotation upon the frame, means for rotating the reel and a control lever for rendering the reel rotating means inoperative, of an automatic stop mechanism comprising a rotary disk operatively connected with the reel and rotatable in synchronism therewith, a pivoted shift bar adjacent the disk, spring means urging saidl shift bar into yielding engagement with the periphery of the disk, an upright arm pivoted to the frame and located in the path of movement of the shift bar said upright arm having a step thereon for latching the control lever in elevated inoperative position, and a notch upon the periphery of the disk to release the shift bar for swinging the upright arm to unseat the control lever and permit said control lever to drop to operative position.

2. An auxiliary stop mechanism for use with reeling machines of the type comprising a frame, a reel journaled for rotation in the frame, means for rotating the reel, a control lever for rendering said reel-rotating means inoperative and a primary stop mechanism for actuating the control lever including a rotary disk rotatable in synchronism with the reel, a slide block, pawls actuated by the rotary disk for imparting step-bystep movement to and the eventual release of the slide block, a pivoted arm normally latching the control lever in operative position and having one of its ends located in the path of the slide block so as to be rocked thereby upon release of the slide block and having its other end extending in the locality of the rotary disk, said auxiliary stop mechanism comprising a shift bar located adjacent the rotary disk, means for yieldingly urging the shift bar into contact with the periphery of the rotary disk clear of the pivoted arm, and a peripheral notch upon the rotary disk for receiving the shift bar, the shift bar being so constructed and arranged that upon entering the notch it engages and rocks the pivoted arm to release the control lever.

3. An auxiliary stop mechanism for use with reeling machines of the type comprising a frame, a reel journaled for rotation in the frame, means for rotating the reel, a control lever for rendering said reel-rotating means inoperative and a primary stop mechanism for actuating the control lever, including a rotary disk rotatable in synchronism with the reel, a slide block, pawls actuated by the rotary disk for imparting step-bystep movement to and the eventual release of the slide block, a pivoted arm normally latching the control lever in operative position and having one of its ends located in the path of the slide block so as to be rocked thereby upon release of the slide block and having its other end extending in the locality of the rotary disk, said auxiliary stop mechanism comprising a shift bar mounted upon the frame and arranged for pivotal movement into contact with the periphery of the disk and into engagement with the pivoted arm, a spring urging said shift bar into contact with the periphery of the rotary disk clear of the pivoted arm, and a peripheral notch upon the rotary disk: for receiving the shift bar, the shift bar being so constructed and arranged that upon entering the notch it engages and rocks the pivoted arm to actuate the control lever.

4. An auxiliary stop mechanism for use with reeling machines of the type comprising a frame, a reel journaled for rotation in the frame, means for rotating the reel including a pair of drive and driven transmission members, a control lever for moving said drive and driven transmission members into and out of engagement, and a primary stop mechanism for actuating the control lever including a rotary disk rotatable in synchronism with the reel, a slide block, pawls actuated by the rotary disk for imparting step-bystep movement to and the eventual release of the slide block, a pivoted arm normally retaining the control lever latched with said -drive and driven members in operative engagement, said pivoted arm having one of its ends in the path of the slide block so as to be rocked thereby upon release of the slide block to unlatch the control lever with consequent separation of the drive and driven members and having its other end extending in the locality of the rotary disk, said auxiliary stop mechanism comprising a shift bar located adjacent the rotary disk, means for yieldingly urging the shift bar into contact with the periphery of the rotary disk out of engagement with the pivoted arm and a peripheral notch upon the rotary disk for receiving the shift bar, the shift bar being so constructed and arranged that upon entering the notch it engages and rocks the pivoted arm to release the control lever.

5. The combination With a reeling machine including a frame, a reel journaled for rotation upon the frame, means for rotating the reel and a control for rendering the reel rotating means inoperative, of an automatic stop mechanism comprising a rotary disk adapted to be driven in synchronism with the reel, a pivoted bar adjacent the rotary disk, a spring urging said shift bar into contact with the periphery of the disk, an arm located in the path of movement of the shift bar adapted to maintain said control in inoperative position, a notch upon the periphery of the rotary disk to release the shift bar to swing the arm for operating said control and an index member cooperating With indicia upon the rotary disk to indicate the length of material to be reeled prior to operation of the control.

DIRK SLIKKER. 

